Travel: A ‘glorious’ night in Hearts’ pitch perfect Tynecastle Park Hotel

Who would want to operate a football stadium?

It is hard to imagine a more fickle income stream. The outgoings must be enormous, and the main source of cash comes in little more than once a fortnight.

Even then if it just so happens that your team isn’t performing well, punters will doubtless vote with their feet and stay away.

But what if more stable income streams could be bolted on?

© SNS Group

Some clubs have managed it. St Johnstone enjoy a steady flow of income thanks to their stadium’s proximity to Perth’s crematorium. Funeral teas are not seasonal, nor dependent on the team’s position in the league table.

Or what about building a hotel within your stadium?

Could that be an inspirational way to bring in finances throughout the year?

Worth a try, surely.

Well, one club that to have done just that is Hearts – and the results are hugely impressive.

Tynecastle Park Hotel

Tynecastle Park is billed as the only hotel of its kind anywhere in the UK, offering a “truly unique hotel experience at the home of Heart of Midlothian Football Club”.

As football fans, the invitation to sample the fledgling hotel’s offering was irresistible to my wife and I.

And so we headed for Edinburgh with a healthy dose of intrigue packed into our overnight bag.

We arrived on a fine spring’s evening to an extremely warm welcome. Helpful staff on reception were only too pleased to guide us to our room for the night, engaging in just the right amount of small talk and offering the requisite measure of practical advice without being at all over-bearing.

The hotel is spread over three floors, all bolted on to the rear side of the stadium’s main stand.

The bottom floor incudes a large reception area and various suites, adjacent to the club shop.

© Chris Watt Photography

Bedrooms make up the lion’s share of the middle floor (there are 25 in total), while the impressive “Skyline” restaurant sweeps throughout the entire length of the third floor.

It is important to point out, the lay-out of the hotel and its geography mean that, while it is very much attached to the stadium itself, one cannot sit within its room or restaurant and gaze longingly (or indeed otherwise) at the pitch – indeed its façade faces on to the “Foundation Plaza” in front of the main entrance to the ground.

Nevertheless, it very much feels part of the football club. The upshot? You don’t have to be a football fan to visit, but it may just add a layer of interest.

Our (enormous and very comfortable) bed for the night was in one of the hotel’s Plaza rooms. Featuring all the mod cons, including a large TV hanging from the ceiling, and a small but perfectly formed en-suite shower room, it felt like an impressive use of a fairly modest space.

Having checked in, and with an hour to spare until dinner, we toddled off to find a watering hole – and promptly arrived at the Tynecastle Arms (within a rather idyllic minute’s trot door-to-door). A perfectly pleasant place for a drink it proved to be too, a million miles from the “spit and sawdust” kind of establishment one might rather uncharitably imagine would be located within a stone’s throw of a football stadium.

Skyline restaurant

One leisurely pint later and it was time to sample the Skyline’s wares.

We were not disappointed. A small but perfectly formed menu offered a range of dishes, from delicious gnocchi in a delicate cheese sauce, to crispy-battered haddock with chunky chips.

The restaurant was busy on this particular Sunday night, but the attentive staff were apparently effortless as they kept service ticking over efficiently. Worthy of mention are the small touches, including the lovely bread and mouth-watering butter than accompanied a fantastically spiced sweet potato soup.

Early reviews of the Skyline have been broadly positive. It is easy to see why.

We were delighted to return to the restaurant for breakfast the following morning and left similarly impressed. The full cooked breakfast was delicious, and the vegetarian version was no mere second thought, including – for example – the most exquisite halloumi fries. Those with an aversion to meat will certainly not leave feeling short-changed.

For the uninitiated, Tynecastle is located in the Gorgie area of Edinburgh, a pleasant half hour’s stroll from the city centre.

There is no doubt it will prove to be a very valuable addition to the city’s hotel scene – and for those who do know a bit about football, I can but conclude with the club’s (albeit slightly altered) iconic anthem: “Hearts, Hearts glorious hotel…..”.

P.S. From April, dinner bed and breakfast at Tynecastle Park Hotel starts from £200 per room, per night, based on two people sharing.

The property is around a mile from Murrayfield and a mile and a half from the EICC. Air-conditioned rooms offer a desk, kettle, safety deposit box, flat-screen TV and a private bathroom with a shower. The hotel is completely owned and managed by the football club.

For more information visit www.tynecastleparkhotel.com.